


Funguses

by Chibimax



Category: Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Cartoon 2018)
Genre: insane, mushroom, spores
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-10
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:35:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26388784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chibimax/pseuds/Chibimax
Summary: It's been twenty-four hours since their brother disappeared and got infected with spores. It's also been twelve hours later after they rescued him. Mikey slammed his ears closed with his hands as another scream came, louder than the last one.
Comments: 5
Kudos: 36





	Funguses

Present-day,

Mikey sighed as another painful wail filled the lair. It's been twenty-four hours since their brother disappeared and got infected with spores. It's also been twelve hours later after they rescued him. Mikey slammed his ears closed with his hands as another scream came, louder than the last one. 

Who knew Leo could scream so loud? Mikey looked up as he saw his eldest brother walk towards him, also unable to sleep with the continuous screams of Leo. 

Oh, it's going to be a long night, tonight. 

\--

Twenty-four hours ago, 

The turtles entered the botanical garden, grinning at each other. "Alright guys, you all know why we're here," Raph grinned at his brothers. "The next challenge we're having is smelling the second smelliest plant without throwing up first! But we need to find the location of it first."

"Yeah, thanks to Stinkbomb, they didn't announce where it is yet." Leo leaned on his Odachi, grinning at his purple bandana brother. "I'm betting Donnie will be the first one throwing up."

"Snort! I will not!" 

"You sure? Last time you did threw up in your respirator." Leo teased. 

"That was with Stinkbomb! That doesn't count!"

"Alright, you two, knock it off." Raph stopped the bickering of the two. "I'm putting a box of pop tarts in on that bet. Now let's go and find that plant!"

Donnie gasped, watching the eldest spreading out to find the plant. Leo grinned, patting him on his shoulder, before following Raph's example. Turning to the youngest, Donnie asked, "You're not placing a bet against me too, aren't you?"

Mikey sheepish grinned at him, shrugging his shoulders before running away from his brother. 

"Thank you for the trust, Angelo!" 

\--

Leo walked into one of the greenhouses. They might keep the plant in here like last time. He wandered around until he found a big tree with a hole in it. 

"Woah!" Leo said, looking amazed around the place, unconsciously walking into the tree as if something called him. The cave was covered with glowing spiderwebs like things. Hypha was the right word. Leo's eyes kept wandering around, not noticing the edge of the cliff. Leo stopped immediately when he felt edge with his foot. Looking down into the deep, Leo gulped silently thanking he didn't fall.

Leo has to tell his brothers about this! He grabbed his phone out when suddenly a sound came from behind him. Leo turned around, seeing someone running towards him, pushing him off the edge. Leo screamed as he fell into the deep, his phone dropping on the ground. 

-

"Where is he?" Raph asked, trying not to go in overprotected brother mode. "I've texted him like five times!"

"Relax, Raph." The youngest of the four said, "Nothing has happened to him, he'll be here soon." 

"Unless he's stuck in a bird net again. " Donnie stated, not bothering to look up from his phone. The other snickered at the memory.

"Alright, let's wait for fifteen minutes, and then we'll start looking for him. " Raph said, texting Leo again.

The fifteen minutes past by slowly, making them realize something must have happened to their brother. "He's stuck." Donnie stood up, putting his phone away when the fifteen minutes have passed by.

"Probably." Mikey agreed.

"Donnie, check Leo's location."

"Alright on it, Raph." Donnie tapped away on his wrist computer. "He's…at…. The greenhouse." 

Raph nodded, turning on full overprotected brother mode. "Let's go."

"Dips on hitting him if he's stuck again!" Donnie said.

\--

They arrived in the greenhouse, looking around. "Leo!" Raph yelled loud enough through the greenhouse. He expected a cry for help, but it never came. Raph looked worried, turning to the purple turtle. "He's in here," Donnie said before Raph even asked.  
Donnie took the lead, walking towards the big tree. "He's in there?" Mikey asked curiously.

"So says the location of his phone." Donnie took a look at the big tree, wondering why Leo even would go in there in the first place. 

"Alright, let's go in and find Leo," Raph said, sending another text message. Together they walked into the tree, seeing glowing strings against the wall of the cave. 

"Woah! What is that?" Mikey asked amazed.

"Spores," Donnie said, pulling his goggles down, taking a better look. "Mushroom spores."

"They're huge! And glowing." 

"Affirmative. The spores are too big for normal standards, but it's normal for them to glow in the dark, Michael. I'm sure their family of the Armillaria ki-" 

"Leo's phone!" Mikey interrupted Donnie, running towards the phone on the ground. Mikey looked at the phone before noticing the edge of the cliff. "You think he fell?"

"No, he was pushed," Raph said, looking down at the ground. There were some markings on the ground, showing something that happened here.

"He was. These markings indicate he was defiantly pushed down." Donnie bent down, checking the markings on the ground.

"Intruders! Must protect! Must destroy intruders!" A voice behind them said. Looking up, they saw two humans charging towards them. The turtles jumped out of the way just in time. "Argh!" one of them said, turning around towards them. "Must protect, Mother."

"Mother?" Raph questioned, jumping backward, avoiding another attack from one of the humans. 

"Allow me." Donnie grabbed his tech staff, shooting a net towards the two humans, capturing them immediately. As soon the turtles came closer towards them, they let out a high voiced scream. 

Mikey knocked both humans out, using the handle of his Kursai-fundo. "Thanks, Michael, my hears couldn't take another minute from those banshee screams," Donnie said, rubbing his hears.

"Hey, do they look familiar to you?" Raph question, looking closely at the unconscious humans.

"They do!" Mikey placed a finger on his beak, thinking hard where he recognized them from. "The news article!"

"Correct!" Donnie said, already having the article in front of him. "They're the ones of the missing person list. Many people disappeared after visiting the garden a few days ago."

"Of course!" Raph snapping his fingers, remembering the article. "How did we forget it?"

"Two words. Pizza. Event." Donnie said. 

"But what happened to them to become this" 

"My guess? Funguses." Donnie received a weird look from both brothers. "Mushrooms."

"Mushrooms?" Mikey asked confused.

"Mushrooms have spores in their caps, spreading them by the wind," Donnie explained. "These spores are much bigger than normal ones, I can confirm their mutated. And will be the reason why these humans are brainwashed." 

"So, a mutated mushroom is all behind this," Raph confirmed. "Let's go down there, kick some mushrooms butt and get our brother back!" 

"I highly recommend wearing our respirators, unless you want to turn into these two." Donnie pointed towards the unconscious humans.

\--

The brothers sneaked around in the cave as they saw small mutant mushrooms walking around, acting as guards while the brainwashed humans were digging and placing seed spores in the ground. 

Raph held his arm up, letting the other stop in their tracks. He pointed up. He wants to go for higher grounds. Donnie and Mikey nodded, confirming the command. 

They climbed up a pillar onto a small platform before crouching down, walking silently towards the edge, and looking down into the big main room cave, they saw more of the missing humans, standing there, waiting for someone to command them. "Intruders." They hear them say, "Find them, protect children, protect Mother." 

"They must have heard the banshee screams," Raph noted, looking at the group of humans. 

Mikey stared at them only to look up, gasping. "Guys! Look!" he pointed at the back of the room. Raph and Donnie followed Mikey's finger, gasping as well. In the back of the cave was a big one-eyed mushroom, surrounded with smaller mushrooms. 

"That must be 'Mother'. She's the one controlling them." Raph stared at the mushroom when he noticed a familiar blue color in front of it. "Leo! What is he doing down there?"

"Worshipping 'Mother'," Mikey said, staring at Leo. "What? Haven't you guys read any of Leo's comics? Brainwashed people turning into cultists, worshipping some random monster?" 

"You need to stop borrowing Leo's comics," Donnie said deadpanned. 

Suddenly, a high pitch scream was heard. Turning around, a small blue mutated mushroom stood behind them, alerting the others. Raph immediately grabbed his tofu, knocking it over the cliff. The mushroom kept screaming as it fell into the deep. 

"Intruders!" one of the humans said, "Must stop them!"

"Time to go!" Raph jumped down, gliding down the wall. Donnie and Mikey followed, just in time to avoid being attacked by humans. Once down, Raph fought his way through to where Leo was standing. 

"They are here," Leo said to Mother, not bothering to even turn around. 

"Of course, we're here!" Raph said. "We're here to get you and the humans outta here!"

"Leaving Mother?" Leo turned around, grinning at his brothers. Leo's eyes slightly glowed blue, indicating he was as well under the control of Mother. "No chance."

"Oh no."

"I highly recommend being cautious now. Leo's not himself anymore."

"No shit, Donnie!" Raph looked at the purple bandana brother. 

"There are two options here." Leo swings his Odashi loosely in his hand. "Join us and no harm will be done to you as she takes over this wretched place."

"Yeah right, like we want to join the brainwashed zombie cultist club," Raph said. "Thank you, but no thank you!"

"Then," Leo said seriously, grabbing his Odashi firmly and pointing it towards his brothers. "Die."

Few big mushrooms shot out of the ground on each side of Leo, aiming their heads towards them, unleashing a rain of spores upon them. The brother's coughs as the spores fell on them. Each one of them being grateful for wearing a respirator. 

A wave of small mushrooms attacks them from the front, while the brainwashed humans came from the back. 

Leo watched emotionlessly his brothers fighting the army of mushrooms and humans from a higher place. A battle cry came from Leo's left side, followed by a firm kick, knocking him off the Mushroom he was standing on, onto the ground. 

"Get off your high horse and snap out of it, Leo!" Raph jumped in battle position, watching his brother crawl back up. 

"Hn." Leo grinned. "And leave Mother? Never."

"Leo, stop acting insane!" Raph followed Leo with his eyes as Leo started to walk around him. "She's making you do this; she's controlling you!"

"Insanity?" Leo stopped walking lowering his sword to the ground. "Now that's the perfect way to describe the world I'm in now."

Leo charged his brother with his sword straight forwards. Raph stopped Leo's attack with his tofu's, pushing Leo back as he kept pushing his sword in the tofu. "Join us, Raphael. Be free from the weight of responsibly as a leader. Be my brother, be a child of Mother."

"I really love you as a brother, but," Raph gave his tofu an extra push, pushing Leo away from him and jumping back, creating a distance between them. "I like the rat more than a mushroom." 

"Petty, you would have been fine associate." Leo raised his hand up, behind him two mushrooms emerged from the ground, smashing their caps into the ground where Raph was standing. 'Is he controlling them?' Raph wondered, jumping away before the impact. Leo smiled when Raph jumped backward, right into the portal he created, sending him into a rain of spores again. 

Leo stood still for a moment, before jumping up in the air, avoiding Mikey and Donnie's sneak attack. He kicked Donnie easy away from him while slamming Mikey's face into the ground. "Michelangelo, why won't you join me?" Leo asked calmly, bending down next to Mikey and holding his head while Leo pulled the respirator away, throwing it far away from them. "I'm so lonely here."

"Sorry, bro," Mikey said, kicking Leo's plastron. Leo stumbled away, holding his plastron as Mikey backflipped away from him. "I don't do mushroom cults." 

"Leave my brother alone!" Donnie swings his tech bo towards Leo's head, slamming it hard enough to knock his brother off his feet. 

"Donatello." Leo grinned, sitting up quickly from the hit. 

"I'm sooo going to enjoy this! You've spiced my coffee this morning!" Donnie pushed a button on his staff, allowing a rocket booster to appear. 

Leo smiled. "I did." 

"For spicing my coffee!" Donnie screamed, charging the now standing Leo. Donnie swings his staff, activating the booster in mid-swing only to miss his target as Leo ducked his head into his shell. Leo countered the attack, swinging his Odashi towards Donnie, cutting his arm and scraping over his plastron. He followed with a high attack, slamming his sword into the bo, damaging some of the wires within the tech staff.

"Join me, Dee."

"Oh enough, with the join me part!" Donnie pushed Leo away from him. "It's getting old! We won't join this sick cult! End of story! Just stop sniffing spores and come home, Leonardo!"

"Why would I?" Leo asked, standing back in attack position. "She released me of my fears, gave me power, responsibility, trust." 

"Leo, we do trust you, not trust trust in away, but we can work on that!" Donnie watched his brother carefully, calculating what Leo's next move will be. "And since when do you have a hunger for power?" 

Leo didn't answer. He only gave Donnie his trademark smile. Donnie coughed as he gets a surprise attack from two small mushrooms who jumped up close to his face, blasting him with their spores. Even when stunned from the spores, Donnie was quick enough to block another attack from the blue turtle. 

Leo kept attacking Donnie, forcing him to walk backward and keep defending himself. Donnie held his staff up, expecting another hit in the middle only to be surprised to see the Odashi, slamming into the head of his staff, making him lose grip and allowing it to fly away from his hands. Leo kicked Donnie into his plastron, falling backward on the ground. 

Now weaponless, Donnie crawled quickly away from his brother, until he bumped against a large rock, watching in fear as his brainwashed brother came closer towards him. 

Leo looked back with emotionless eyes, holding his Odashi loosely in his hand. He stared a while at his elder brother before asking seriously, "Did I ever tell you what the definition of insanity is?"

Suddenly, a fist hits Leo right in the face, making him stumble backward. Leo grinned, whipping the blood from the corner of his lip away, seeing his father standing in front of Donnie. "Purple, are you alright?" Splinter asked as he watched his blue son standing back right up again, gathering an army of mushrooms around him. 

"Dad?" Donnie asked surprised. Raph and Mikey join him, helping him back up and handing his weapon back. "Y-yeah, I'm fine. How did you get here?"

"Red texted me what was going on, I came as soon I've got the message." Splinter explained. "We need to find a way to stop your brother." 

An evil laugh pulled their eyes towards the blue turtle. "Stop me? No one can stop me." Leo said, sounding more demonic than earlier. "My spores are everywhere! Soon this world will be mine! And this vessel will help me with it."  
"She's using Blue as a puppet." Splinter stated. "We must find a way to take down 'Mother'. It's the only way to get your brother back from this madness."

"Sunlight can destroy cave mushrooms. But we're so deep I don't think we can't even get sunlight in here." Donnie said, thinking hard for a solution. "The weed burners! I've seen some near a small cave while I was fighting. Maybe we could get the fuel out and light it once we poured it around her." 

Splinter nodded. "Red and Orange, distract your brother and those mushrooms. I and Purple will take care of the mother mushroom." Splinter ordered his boys. 

Raph and Mikey run towards the mushroom army and Leo, easily distracting them from their father and brother. 

\--

Splinter and Donnie sneaked past the big mushrooms, entering a small cave that was filled with gasoline. "Urika! We hit the jackpot!" Donnie grabbed some jerry cans and run towards the giant mushroom with Splinter. 

\--

Raph and Mikey moved the fight with Leo up into the tunnel, blocking every move of their brother hit them, but slowly started running out of stamina.

"Give it up, guys," Leo said attacking both Raph and Mikey. "You won't defeat me."

"If Donnie can kick your ass at the lair games, so can we!" Raph panted, blocking another attack from Leo. 

"You wish!" Leo stopped dead in his attacks when he heard a scream down the tunnel. "Mother!" Leo yelled, running back to the main room where Mother was. Entering the room, he saw Mother on fire, screaming in pain as she burned.  
"Noo! Mother!" Leo screamed, turned around towards the brothers and rat. "You killed her! You will pay for this! Her spores will survive! I will make sure of it!"

Leo charged his family in anger only to meet a tail in his face, hitting his head against a small rock and knocking him to unconsciousness. 

\--

"You'll pay for this," Leo growled. Leo sat on his knees tied up in the back of the turtle tank. Once they were out of the cave, they called the authorities to take care of the fire and the missing humans. 

"Eyes roll. Another meaningless threat. Keep it up, Nardo and you might be able to write a whole book with those threats." Donnie leaned bored on his hand, keeping an eye on the blue turtle. 

"Why is he even still like this?" Mikey asked, turning towards Donnie. "The humans were back to normal once 'Mother' burned to ashes."

"One moment, please." Donnie stood up, taking out a cotton pad and swiped it over Leo's face. 

"Don't touch me!" 

"Oh, zip it, cry baby." Donnie grabbed some duct tape putting it on Leo's mouth before pulling his goggles down and started examining the examples from Leo and another one he had gotten earlier from a human. "Leon doesn't have the same spores on him as the others do. Mother must have infected him personally."

"How long will this infection last?" Splinter asked, listing into the conversation of his sons as he drove the tank back home. 

"I don't know. An hour? Five hours? A day? I can't tell as I do not know how high the dosage was he got exposed to."

"Once we're home, we need a place to contain him," Raph spoke for the first time. "Donnie do you-"

"Sheldon is already on it!" A beep came from Donnie's computer wrist. "Oh, he's already done. Good job, Sheldon!"

\--

"Gentlemen, may I present you the anti-insanity decontamination cell." The five of them stood in front of a glass cage, with a few air holes in it. 

"It's just a glass cage, Donnie." Raph retorts. 

"Not just a glass cage, my dear brother!" Donnie stated, walking towards the control panel. "The cage is made out of plastic, allowing us to gas him when needed, it has a padded floor-"

"Someone please make him stop," Leo whined throwing his head backward in annoyance. 

"Uh scoff! You're not in a position AT. ALL. to say that, Mr join my brainwashed club!" Donnie pointed his finger at his infected brother. 

"Donnie, haven't you learned anything from Magneto, Loki, or Hannibal Lector?!" Mikey asked, eying his brother. 

"Those are fictional villains, Michael. This is Leonardo we're talking about."

"Yeah, who is joker style bat shit crazy at the moment!" 

Raph grabbed Leo by the upper arm leaning him into the cage. Leo looked up with blue glowing eyes straight into Raph's eyes, planning an escape.

"Don't even think about it." Leo grinned evil at his big brother in response, watching his brother walk away slowly. Raph just left the cage when Leo ran towards the glass, slamming his fists against the glass. "Don't think you'll keep me in here." Leo leaned closer towards the glass. "I WILL get my revenge!"

Donnie lazy pushed a button on the control panel. Leo screamed as white gas started filling the cage, making him move away from the glass wall. "Another useless threat. Please do continue making them. I've got a remote control to gas you from a distance every time you make them." Donnie waved with the remote in his hands. 

\--

two hours have past and Leo didn't show any sign of the spores leaving his system. He tested the cage a few times for weak spots, only to get gassed by Donnie multiple times. 

The three of them sat around the kitchen island table. "Isn't there anything to get the spores out of him quickly?" Mikey asked. "He's been sitting like a creep for an hour now!"

"Sadly, no," Donnie said. "Leo's body needs to get rid of it on his own." 

Suddenly a scream filled the lair. "Donnie!" Raph glared at the purple turtle. 

"I did not gas him this time!" defended Donnie, holding his hands up. The three stood up, running towards the cage. Leo was on the ground, squirming around as he held his head. "Make it stop, please!" Leo begged for help.

"Leo." Mikey walked forwards only to be stopped by Raph. "Don't. It can be a trap." Mikey's eyes looked at Raph first before turning back to his brother, biting his bottom lip. Leo flipped over, leaning on his arms and knees, looking up at them with begging eyes. "Guys, please, it hurt! It hurts so much." Tears surfaced on Leo's eyes before he grabbed his head and screamed again.

"I'm sorry, Leo. There's nothing we can do." Donnie said. All of them having a hard time watching their brother scream in pain. 

\--

The screaming continued until the early mornings. Once they died out and Leo laid motionless on the ground, Raph carried him to his bedroom. All of them agreed to do a watch duty as Leo slept. 

Splinter looked up from his book when Leo started to move. "Blue," he said with a soft smile once Leo opened his eyes. Splinter helped Leo move up carefully, offering some water to his son. "How are you feeling?" 

"Better," Leo spoke with a hoarse voice. 

"Leo!" Mikey was the first of the brothers launching himself into a hug. Leo hugged all of his brothers. "You're awake! How are feeling? Can we get you something?"

"Easy, Orange." Splinter pulled Mikey away. "Blue just woke up. Let him be for now." 

"I'm fine, don't worry." Leo smiled. 

"So how was it?" Leo looked towards Donnie. "Being mind-controlled by a giant mushroom?"

Leo sighed, staring in front of him with hazy eyes. "Like…If it was a dream. You keep hearing the same voice, telling you what to do, making your body move even when you don't want to. Even when she died, I kept hearing her voice. Ordering me to avenge her death. Making sure her children will survive."

"It's all over now, my son." Splinter placed a hand on Leo's leg. "She won't harm you again." 

"And if she is still alive, we'll kick her butt even harder!" Raph made a fist, structuring he means it by heart. "No one mess with my brother's!"

"Except for us," Donnie stated. 

Leo smiled. "Thanks, guys."

\--

Back in the cave, a little mushroom crawls out of the ground. 

"Grow, my little queen." The plant mutant said as it watched the mushroom. "I'll take care of you now."

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed the story!


End file.
